Lister attachment for addressing machines



Jan-23, 1923,

J. S. DUNCAN ET AL.

LISTER ATTACHMENT FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES.

4 SHEETSSHEE1 l.

FILED JUNE 23,1919- TAMJTD.

Jan 23, 1923. 1. s. DUNCAN ET AL. LISTER ATTACHMENT FDR ADDRESSING MACHINES.

4 SHEETSSHEET' 2.

FILED JUNE 23, I919.

Jan; 23, 1923.,

1 s. DUNCAN ET AL. LISTER ATTACHMENT FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE S.

4 SHEETS SHEET 3.

FILED JUNE 23,1919.

Jan 23, 19234. v 1,443,1'm,

J. S. DUNCAN ET AL. LISTER ATTACHMENT FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES.

FILED JUNE 23, [919. 4 SHEETS-SHED 4- Patented Fan. 23, F923.

JOSEPH s. DUNCAN AND HENRY E. HUBBARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS 'ro ADDRESSOGRAPH COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

LISTER ATTACHMENT FOR ADDRESSING MACHINES.

Application filed June 23,

To all who 12bit may concern.

Be it known that we, Josicrii S. DUNCAN and HENRY l HUBBARD, citizens, of the llnited States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lister Attachments for Addressing Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an attachment for addressing machines whereby the names or the full addresses may be printed in a list form on ruled or plain sheets. i The invention is especially useful in preparing pay-rolls, stockholders lists, factory records, subscription records and for a great many other purposes where a list of names is desired in alphabetical or other arrangement on loose leaf or other sheets.

The invention also has for its objects to provide a lister attachment which can be easily affixed to and removed from an ad dressing machine, which can be easily thrown into or out of operation, and which can be readily adjusted for properly feeding the sheet through the machine according to any desired spacing.

Another important object of the invention is to insure proper spacing and feeding of the sheet by avoiding slippage at the beginning of the feeding movement and any tendency of the sheet to over-run the desired spacing due to momentum of the sheet and the feeding devices at the finish of the feeding movement.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an attachment of simple construction which requires no special skill to Operate, which can be operated by hand for skip spacing or other purposes, which can be thrown out of operation temporarily in a .ver v, simple manner and which is capable of fine and accurate adjustment for spacing.

In the accompanying drawings we have shown the invention embodied in a hand addressing machine of that type in which the addressing devices are automatically fcd one at a time through printing position and discharged at the front of the machine, but it will be understood that the invention may be embodied with any addressing machine for which itisor may be adapted.

in the drawings- Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating a 1919. Serial No. 306,010.

portion of a hand addressing machine with our improved lister attachment thereon;

F ig. 2 IS an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, illustrating the attachment and a portion of the addressing machine in the init al position of the parts;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the parts in position when the platen is making an impression;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the attachment showing parts ofthe machine in section;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5 of 1g. 4; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the platen in normal position and the feeding devices Operated by moving the arm 49 to a position midway between the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional'view showing the chute in side elevation;

Fig. 10 is a front view and Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the roller ratchet device.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is the bed of the machine and -11 is a magazine to receive a stack of printing devices 12 which are fed through the machine one at a time in a familiar manner. A platen 13 is pivotally mounted at 16 on the bed and is normally held in elevated position by a spring (Fig. 2). An inked ribbon 18 is arranged to travel transversely across the printing device in printing position on the bed and by hand pressure applied to the handle 15 the platen is swung down upon a sheet or envelope 19 to make an impression in a manner now well known in the art.

T he lister attachment comprises a frame 20 which carries all of the moving parts and is det-achably secured tothe bed by a single set screw 21. The frame has a pin 22 to enter an opening 22 in the bed for properly centering the attachment on the machine and the screw hole in the bed for the set screw 21 is so arranged that when the attachment is secured in place the working parts will be in proper relation to the working parts of the machine. A feedshaft 23 carrying a feed roller 24 is mounted inthe frame 20 and in one arnr25 of a bell crank 26 which is pivotedat 26 on the frame (Fig;- 5). The other arm of the bell crank engages a rock shaft 27 mounted in the frame and cut away at 27' to provide a flat surface in aplane extending through the center of the shaft. A- spring 28 housed in the frame bea'rs'upon the arm 25 to press the feed roller 24 into operative engagement with'th'e sheet 19 when thearm 25 engages the flat surface 27on the shaft 27. To lift the feed roller out of operative position so that the sheet may be arranged in the machine, or for any otherpur'pose, the shaft'27 is rocked b operati'ng the handle lever 29 (Fig. 4)' until the bell crank 26' is swung on its pivot by the peripheral surface ofthe rock shaft 27 engaging the arm 25' Thedrawings show the feed roller in operative position but it will be readily-understood that by simply throwing the handle lever 29 upward to rock the shaft 27- the feed roller will be lifted out of feeding position. The shaft 23 is preferably reduced in size between the arm 25 and its bearing in the frame- 20' (Fig. 4) so that it will readily yield to permit movement of the feedroller to inoperative position, as just described.

A gear 30 (Fig. 4) is keyed on the shaft 23 and drivesa pinion 31 on the shaft 32 which is mounted on the frame and carries the feed roller 33 which is located just belowandslightly to one side of the axis of the feed roller 24;- Thus the feed rollers are geared to revolve together and feed the paper 'locat'ed therebetween.

A gear 34 is loosely mounted on the feed shaft-23 andis engaged therewith'by a roller ratchet device 35 or other suitable clutch device which need not be described in detail.

A toothed segment 36 (Fig. 2) engages the gear 34' and onit's'downward'movement with the downward movement of the platen the gear'turiis freely on the shaft but on the upward movement" of the platen and the segment the gear is'locked to the shaft and turns the shaft and-the feed rollers The segment is carried'bya bell crank'37j pivoted at 37" on the frame and is' pivotally connected to'one end of a link" 38 at 38" The other end of this-link is pivotallyengagedwith ascrew 39' (Fig; 6)- Whichfsc'rews into" anadjustjing block" 40 in the adj ii sting head 41 I This Headis rigidly mountedon mounted on the screivfl 39 to travel in tracks? 43 onthe" slottedfiside" 43; of the head and this plate is" provided with an index mark to' register with the calibrations aforesaid The block 4Q" is carried an" Listing" screw 45'- which operates threugh the front of the block and: is" provided with 'a (211146; by" me'an's of which t-he'f sc ijelw'" can be turned to" adj ust the" block 40 thereonb Since the screw 39 connects the link 38 with the block 40the pivot of the forward end of the link will be adjusted with the block relatively to the fixed pivot of the head 41 to regulate the feeding movement of the sheet. The front of the block is calibrated and the cap 46 has .an index mark to facilitate adjustment of the screw 45.

The feed shaft'23 may be operated in one direction by turning the knurled finger piece 23 but this will be used only for special purposessince the feeding devices are actuated by the platen arm'at each complete operation of the platen. An arm 47 on the head (Fig. 1) is pivotally connected by link 48 to a rockerwhich is operated by the platen arm for actuating the feeding devices. In its approved form this rocker comprises an arm 49t0 the upper portion of which the link 48 is pivotally connected. This arm 49 is pivoted at its lower end, 50, to an arm 51 which is pivoted at 52 on the frame 20. The two arms are held spaced apart by the lug 53 on arm 49 engaging'the arm 51, and a sprin 54 connected to the arms holds them normally in the spaced relation provided for by the lug 53. A roller 55 on the side of the platen arm 14 is arranged to travel in the space between the two arms and to engage arm 49 on the downward travel of the platen to operate the rocker, and to engage the arm 51 on the upward travel of the platen to return the rocker to normal po'sig tion and to operate the feed rollers, A fiat Spring 56 fastened to the frame. bears upon the arni 51 to relieve the shock of the return movement of the rocker. The arm 49 is provided with a thumb piece 49' atits upper end by'whichthis arm andthe feeding devices" connected therewith can' be operated by hand independently of the platen and platen arm and arm 51 to feed the sheet.

A side gauge 57 for guiding the sheet is carried by a rod 58 which is adjustable inthe frame 20 andis secured iniadjusted position by the screw 59 (Fig 1). The sheet is guided upward as it passes from printing position by a chute which'consists of a plurality of curved arms 60 connected at their lower ends by a bar'61 and'by a cross brace 62 A rearwardly extending projection 63 atone side of the chute engages the frame and a" similar projection 64 at the other side of the chuteihas'a reducedend 65 whichenters an opening in a lug 66 on the frame. in whichjit is securedhy aset screw 67-. ,Thus the chute is secured in proper position on the machine by a single set screw. y The'general operation of the machine will be readily understood from the foregoing description; when read in connection with the drawings but special mention 1 should be madeo'fthechangingspeed of operation of the feed' rollers. It will, of course, be a parentthat the feed rollers operate on y lit) eeann m on the upward or return stroke of the platen arm, after the printing impression has been made, and that the movement of the mechanism for actuating the feed rollers ends at or about the same time with the return movement of the platen lever. But we desire to commence the sheet feeding movement slowly and also to end it slowly and thereby avoid jerking the sheet, prevent slippage and any overfeed of the sheet which would result from the momentum imparted thereto in the feeding movement. We also wish to speed up the feeding movement between the beginning and ending of the movement. This is accomplished in a very simple manner by the head connection between the rocker and the segment link. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 2 that in the normal position of the'machine the head is located with the cap 46 to the front, and, by reference to Fig.- 3, that in the down position. of the platen the head is turned to reverse position with the cap pointing in the opposite direction. This swinging movement of the head from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 3, and back again, is effected by the rocker and its link connection with the arm 47 on the head. The screw 39 to which the link 38 is connected will travel in an are determined by the position of the block 40 with relation to the axial center of the shaft 42 and this are can be varied by adjusting the block as heretofore described. The link 38 imparts movement to the segment which turns the feed shaft and the feed rollers thereon on the upward movement of the platen and the segment. Since the-screw 39 travels in an are it will be apparent that the segment, and consequently the feed shaft and feed rollers, will commence and end their movement on the up-stroke of the platen at a comparatively slow rate of speed while the intermediate movement will be at a comparatively high rate of speed. Furthermore, the feeding movement is not commenced until the platen is clear of the work. The extent of the feeding movement can be regulated by adjustments according to any ruling on the sheet or to any desired spacing. If it is desired to feed the sheet in advance without regard to spacing the feed roller can be turned by operating the knurled finger piece 23. If it is desired to operate the feed rollers according to the adjusted spacing without operating the platen the arm 49 is operated by" hand, through the medium of the finger piece 49', and all the feeding devices will be operated except the arm 51 of the rocker. By these means the feeding movement can be ad'usted to any desired extent and it can be e ected automatically with the operation of the platen or independently thereof as may be desired.

The platen may be constructed and adjusted to take an impression of a part or all of the form on the printing device and for this purpose we may use platens such as are disclosed in Patients No. 1.186,?58. June 13, 1916. and No. 1,209,416, December 19, 1916.

We are aware that our invention may be adapted to other kinds of addressing machines than that indicated in the foregoing specification and drawings and also that changes in the form, proportion and construction of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof so and we therefore reserve the right to make all such adaptations and changes as fall within the scope of the accompanying claims.

We claim s5 1. In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and means for operating the same, means for feeding a sheet through the machine, and means automatically operated by said platen operating means for actuating said feeding means to advance a sheet through the machine on the return movement of the platen after the printing impression said feeding means being operable independently of said platen.

2. In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and a platen arm, means for feeding a sheet through the machine, and means operated by the platen arm for actuating said feeding means to advance a sheet through the machine on the return movement of the platen after the printing impression, said feeding means being operable independently of said platen arm.

3. In an addressing machine, the combination of means for feeding a sheet through the machine and stopping it in printing position, and means for operating said feeding means at a comparatively slow rate of speed at the beginning and at the ending of the feeding movement.

4:. In an addressing machine, the combination of means for feeding a sheet through the machine and stopping it in printing position, and means for dperating said feeding means at a comparatively slow rate of speed at the beginning and at the ending of the feeding movement and at a comparatively high rate of speed during the intermediate part of the feeding movement.

5. In an addressingmachine, the combination of means for feeding a sheet to print ing position including a feed roller, and means for imparting to said roller a feeding movement which begins slowly, then speeds up and ends slowly.

6. In an addressing machine, the combi nation of means for feeding a sheet to printing position including a pair of feed rollers arranged in cooperative relation, and means 'speeds up and ends slowly.

7. In an addressing machine, the combination of means for feeding a sheet to printing position including a pair of rollers arranged one above the other in cooperative relation, shafts carrying said rollers, intermeshing gears on said shafts to turn the rollers in unison. and means for operating one of said shafts to impart a feeding movement to the rollers which begins slowly, then speeds up and ends slowly.

8. In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and a platen arm. means for feeding a sheet through the machine and including a feed roller, and means operated by the platen arm for actuating said feeding means to impart a feeding movement to said feed roller which begins slowly, then speeds up and ends slowly.

9. In an addressing machine, the combination of means for feeding a sheet through the machine, and means for operating said feeding means including a part which travels in the arc of a circle and in such relation to the center of the are as to produce a.feeding movement which begins slowly, then speeds up and ends slowly.

10. In an addressing machine, the combination of means for feeding a sheet through the machine, means for operating said feeding means including a part which travels in the arc of a circle and in such relation to the center of the are as to impart to the feeding means a feeding movement which begins slowly, then speeds up and ends slowly, and means for adjusting said part to vary its arc of movement and correspondingly vary the feeding movement.

11. In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and a platen arm, means forfeeding a sheet through the machine, and means actuated by said platen arm for operating said feeding means and including a part for operating said feeding means independently of the operation of the platen arm.

12..In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and a platen arm, means for feeding a sheet through the machine, and means actuated by said platen arm for operating said feeding means and including a rocker arm operable conjointly with and independently of said platen arm.

13. In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and a platen arm, means for feeding a sheet through the machine, and means actuated by said platen arm for operating said feeding means and including a rocker comprising two arms, both of which are operable conjointly with the platen arm and one of which is also operable independently of the platen arm.

14. In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and a platen arm, means for feeding a sheet through the machine, and means actuated by said platen arm for operating said feeding means and including a rocker comprising two pivoted arms yieldingly held in spaced relation, and a roller on the platen arm arranged to travel between said rocker arms to operate the rocker.

15. In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and a platen arm, means for feeding a sheet through the machine, and means actuated by said platen arm for operating said feeding means and including a rocker comprising two pivoted arms yieldingly held in spaced relation, and a roller on the platen arm arranged to travel between said rocker arms to operate the rocker, said rocker arms being jointly operable conjointly with the platen arm and one of said rocker arms being operable independently of the platen arm.

16. In an addressing machine, the combination of a platen and a platen arm, means for feeding a sheet through the machine, and means actuated by said platen arm for operating said feeding means and including a pivoted rocker comprising a pair of arms, one of which is pivot-ally mounted on the other and both of which are yieldingly connected, there being a lug on one arm to engage the other arm for holding the arms in spaced relation, and means on the platen arm traveling between said rocker arms for operating the rocker.

17. In an addressing machine, the combination of a roller for feeding a sheet through the machine, a rocker, means for operating said rocker, and means intermediate of the feedroller and the rocker for operating the feed roller and comprising a pivoted head adapted to be operated by the rocker, one side of said head being slotted and provided with a track, a block slidably adjustable in said head in a plane perpendicular to the pivotal axis of the head and relatively to said axis to vary the feeding movement, a plate arranged on said track, and an adjusting screw passing through said plate and engaged with said block.

18. In an addressing machine, the combination of a roller for feeding a sheet through the machine, a rocker, means for operating said rocker, and means intermediate of the feed roller and the rocker for operating the feed roller and comprising a pivoted head adapted to be operated by the rocker, an adjusting screw mounted in said head, and a block adjustably mounted on said screw relative to the pivotal axis of said head.

19. In an addressing machine, the combination of aroller for feeding a sheet through the machine, a rocker, means for operating said rocker, and means intermediate of the feed roller and the rocker for operating the feed roller and comprising a head adapted to be operated by the rocker, a block mounted in the head to travel in an are, means for adjusting said are of travel of the block to regulate the feeding movement, a bell crank lever carrying a segment gear, and a link connected to said lever and to said block.

20. In an addressing machine, the combination of a'roller for feeding asheet through the machine, a rocker, means for operating said rocker, and means intermediate of the feed roller and the rocker for operating the feed roller and comprising a feed roller shaft, a gear on said shaft, a bell crank lever having a toothed segment for operating said gear, a pivotally mounted head adapted to be operated by said rocker, a block adjustably mounted in said head relative to the pivotal axis of the head and moving conjointly with the head but in an arc with relation to said pivotal axis, and a link connected to said bell crank lever and to said block.

21, In an addressing machine, the combination of a bed, means for feeding a sheet through'the machine, and a chute for guiding the sheet from the feeding means and having a pair of rearwardly extending projections to engage the bed, and a set screw on the bed engaging one of said projections to secure the chute in place on the bed.

JOSEPH S. DUNCAN. HENRY E. HUBBARD.

Witness M. A. KIDDIE. 

